Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Trump say Putin ally paid for some wedding festivities as a 'gift'

Donald Trump Jr's wife, Bettina Trump, confirmed that their May wedding was paid for in part by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A post on her Instagram account – attributed to the couple – said that two nights of their three-day wedding festivities on a private island in the Bahamas were partially funded by Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin.

The statement was released Monday after investigative journalism outlet ProPublica published a story detailing that Kremlev paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for the celebration.

Donald Trump Jr, the president's eldest son, is a private citizen, so it is not illegal for him to accept gifts from a foreign national.

"Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful," the couple said in the statement.

But ethics watchdog groups said it still presented the appearance of a conflict of interest for the president's son to accept lavish gifts from someone associated with a foreign head of state – even if he is not a US government employee.

"People don't just give hundreds of thousands of dollars to a random acquaintance without wanting something," said Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

"You can see how [Putin] would enjoy all this press about how people in his circle are cozying up to people in the president's circle."